Predictive modeling of the nonuniform deformation of the aluminum alloy 5182

We pose an experimental model for hot deformation that, in complexity, fall s between a homogeneous laboratory test and an industrial process. Our obje ctive is to document a transition between two distinct models of thermally- activated deformation: diffusion controlled solute drag and hardening with concurrent recovery of dislocations. We demonstrate that constitutive equat ions for plasticity, describing different regimes of dislocation kinetics a nd calibrated with a minimum of adjustable constants, can be incorporated i nto finite element analysis and used reliably to predict the mechanical res ponse to a nonuniform body. [S0094-4289(00)00302-9].